


Whispering Corridors

by Wasuremono



Category: Mother 2: Gyiyg no Gyakushuu | EarthBound
Genre: Coming Out, Community: lgbtfest, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-02-01
Updated: 2010-02-01
Packaged: 2017-10-06 22:16:57
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,333
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/58313
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Wasuremono/pseuds/Wasuremono
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Post-game fic: most of Snow Wood Boarding School already knows about Tony's sexuality, but now that Jeff is home, he needs to tell the person whose opinion he cares about most. Written for the 2008 LGBTfest.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Whispering Corridors

**Author's Note:**

> This is just a small vignette originally written for LGBTfest 2008. It more or less speaks for itself, and I hope it's enjoyed.

Tony hated the whispers more than anything.

They weren't exactly new; ever since he and Jeff had moved into their double room, there'd been the occasional half-stifled snicker or pointed glance in the halls, and it had never been a mystery why. Tony wasn't good at hiding things. That's why he'd thought it'd be a simple thing to resolve: just a few quiet notes to the right friends, and the very small world of Snow Wood Boarding School would take care of the rest. There wouldn't be any need for speculation anymore.

As expected, word had gotten around, but things from there hadn't exactly gotten better. Everything was normal on the surface -- the same old classes, the same conversations in the halls -- but there was a dark and silent undercurrent of watchfulness and of anticipation. The microscope of Snow Wood was focused on him, and it was starting to choke.

Even without listening, Tony knew what they were whispering: well, now that he's finally admitted it, what's he going to say to Jeff?

Tony only wished he knew. It was a matter of days, now. Hours.

* * *

"It's great to be back home. It really is."

Tony looked up from his book, from the place on his bed where he was desperately trying not to stare at Jeff unpacking, and nodded. His roommate had changed so much in his months away: an inch or two of height, his hair past his ears, and the faint lines of already-fading scars. Had Jeff ever in his life been so beautiful? And how much more difficult would that make this?

"Yeah," Tony said, throat dry and mouth ashen. "It's great to have you back."

Jeff pulled another uniform set out of his duffel bag, folding it and putting it in the dresser, and Tony let the silence settle. He'd always thought the room felt empty when Jeff was gone, but now that he was here again, there was something even emptier about it; he expected his every word to echo in the gap between them. He sat still, focusing back at his book, and tried to stop the tremors in his chest.

There was the familiar creak of Jeff's wardrobe opening and closing, and then there was Jeff's voice, just as echoing as Tony had feared his would be. "Tony? You okay?" Oh, God, he'd noticed. When had that started? Jeff never used to notice anything. If he had, Tony wouldn't exactly have to tell him what was going on, would he?

"Not really," he admitted. "I have to talk to you."

"About what?" Jeff sat down on his bed, pin-neat as Tony had made it the morning after his disappearance, and met his eyes. Tony's heart was in his throat. No, he couldn't do this. Let him find out from the rumor mill --

No. No. No.

He inhaled deeply, held the breath, and then spoke. "I'm gay, Jeff."

"Oh," said Jeff, breaking eye contact for a moment. "I always kinda wondered, but it never came up, you know?"

"But it needs to. After everything that's happened -- after you leaving, and those aliens, and that night when I swear I felt you dying and I rushed out here and I just asked whoever's up there to keep you safe, to get you home --" The words came out faster than Tony'd imagined, and he paused for another deep breath. "After everything, I have to be honest with you and honest with everyone. It's too important to ignore."

Jeff looked back up, cracking a very faint smile. "I understand," he said. "It's been weird being away from you, and I can't imagine what it must have been like here. I worried about you. ... So, uh, who all have you told?"

"Maxwell," said Tony, and he wasn't surprised to see Jeff wince. "A couple of guys from the Ultra Science Club. They told more people, and I figure the whole school knows by now."

"Huh. Has anyone given you any trouble?"

"Well, Maxwell said maybe I should have come out as a werewolf or something that'd actually be a surprise, but beyond that... not really, but sort of. I mean, nobody's said anything? But... people look."

Jeff was silent a long moment before he spoke again. "That's the problem with going to a boys' school, I think," he said. "No girls around, and a bunch of guys with too much time on their hands... well, you get a lot of weird ideas flying around. You know half those guys have experimented, right? Half those guys have no idea what they want. Maybe they're jealous that you do."

"Well..." God, could he say it? Could he get the words out? "Jeff, knowing what you want doesn't always help. I --" He'd never known it could be so hard to keep his heart in his chest and his brain in his head. "-- I love you, okay? You're everything to me. Everything."

"... I... thanks. ... Can I be honest?"

"Of course," said Tony, almost too fast. "It's okay if you don't feel the same way. I'd be happy just being your friend -- we don't have to be anything else, and I don't want to make you uncomfortable or feel like you have to... um. You know."

"No, it's not that! It's not that I'm uncomfortable," said Jeff, "it's just that I don't know. I've always been so focused on school, and now this... I've never thought about this stuff before. I don't want to string you along, but I can't tell you when I'll have my head together."

"It's okay. It really is. I could wait forever for you."

Jeff offered him another smile, this one stronger. "You're too good for me, Tony. And -- look. I can't tell you how this is going to turn out, but I can tell you that I've got your back, okay? It doesn't matter what those jerks in the hallways say. If they give you any trouble, let me know, and I'll sort them out."

"No," said Tony, "you don't have to do that. It's my fight --"

"But Giygas was my fight, and you were there for me anyway." Jeff's voice grew softer, and there was something distant in his gaze. "That night you mentioned, the night you said you could feel me dying? I felt it too. I really should have died, but something kept me going. Kept me safe. I don't know if I'll ever understand it, but I swore it was you, and once you said that, I knew it. ... Maybe I'll never be who you want me to be, Tony, but I'll always be your friend. I owe you that much."

Tony could feel the blush burning on his cheeks. "Thanks," he said, voice going low and soft to match Jeff's. "That means a lot. I'd hug you, but..."

"Don't worry about it, okay? It's not gonna be weird."

That was enough to send Tony to his feet, and by the time he did, Jeff's arms were open and waiting for him. He didn't care what it meant, just how it felt: normal. Good. Safe.

Maybe it wasn't what he dreamed of, but it was a start.

* * *

The whispers didn't stop, of course, but as the days went by, Tony found them easier to ignore. What did he care what they thought of him? It seemed so silly now, now that the world was back in its proper alignment; at the end of the day, they had no reason to care who it was he loved.

It wasn't that he'd ever been ashamed of who he was, Tony knew, but carrying secrets left a weight on your shoulders, and without it, he could stand straighter and walk taller. If they were going to look at him, they might as well see what he really was: someone with nothing to regret and a lot to be grateful for.

It wasn't the best of all possible worlds, Tony knew, but he'd made one step towards the future.


End file.
